A Tour of the Vault
YOU LOVE PLAYING KEYFORGE with family and friends, yet you want more! Maybe you want to take your game to the next competitive level or maybe you’re keen to meet some new KeyForgian friends? Maybe you want meet up with some of the people you’ve interacted with in online KeyForge communities? Maybe all the above?
You’ve heard about the “Vault Tours”, but what are these Vault Tours? Why should you want to attend one?
We’ll try to answer that question below. So, let’s dive in!
The Vault Tour is Back, Baby!
The first Vault Tour was held in 2019 when Fantasy Flight Games (a subsidiary of Asmodee) was the publisher of KeyForge. The 2019 Vault Tour consisted of 100-300 person events held all over the world with the purpose of calling KeyForge players together at a gathering centered around a top-level KeyForge Tournament.
Sadly, with the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, plans for the ’20 Vault Tour were cancelled and the concept would lay fallow until Ghost Galaxy revived KeyForge in Summer ’22 and announced plans for a 2023 Vault Tour at its KeyForge Celebration ’22 keynote.
Ghost Galaxy has distilled the KeyForge Organized Play (“OP”) program into two principal tournament formats: Archon and Alliance as well as sealed versions of these two formats (read more about official KeyForge OP formats here).
Additionally, Ghost Galaxy committed to a cash prize pool for each stop of the 2023 KeyForge Vault Tour and for the World Championship Tournament near the Ghost Galaxy HQ in Roseville, MN.
The Vault Tour is FUN!
While it certainly is the case that a great deal of attention is paid to competitive tournaments at each Vault Tour stop, there are plenty of reasons to go if you’re a casual player.
Aside from hanging out with a bunch of great KeyForge enthusiasts, casual players may enjoy KeyForge side events such as the KeyForge Unchained duels, sealed-deck events, and more (note that side events may vary for each Vault Tour stop). Notably, there’s the Second Æmber tournament that accompanies each principal KeyForge tournament. If you happen to be eliminated from a primary tournament, you may seamlessly glide into its Second Æmber consolation-tournament which allows you to keep playing KeyForge and to compete for more prizes in this more casual setting.
The Vault Tour Schedule
Each annual Vault Tour consists of a number of events in cities across the U.S. and several other countries. Each Vault Tour stop is a three-day event starting on a Friday and ending on a Sunday.
For a schedule of Vault Tour stops in ’23 you can visit our ticketing site here.
Vault Tour events feature the following primary activities:
Friday (3pm): Sealed Alliance Tournament
Saturday (10am): KeyForge Archon Tournament
Saturday (10am): KeyForge: Alliance Tournament
Saturday: Second Æmber Consolation Tournaments
Sunday (10am): Top-8 Finals (both Alliance and Archon)
The Second Æmber consolation tournaments will run alongside the primary tournaments on Friday and Saturday, and a variety of side events will be available each day.
All tickets must be purchased online. With availability, tickets may be bought online on the first day of the given Vault Tour event. Tickets for each three-day event cost $75 per attendee. Single day tickets are not available.
What is Included in the Ticket Fee?
Your ticket fee contributes to the cost of the venue, staff, and judges that service the event. In addition to entry to the Vault Tour event and activities, your ticket also provides your attendee badge, lanyard, and the Vault Tour Goody Bag.
A Vault Tour Goody Bag, You Say?
That’s right! The ’23 goody bag will include three Winds of Exchange Decks (which may be used in the Friday Sealed Alliance Tournament), an I’m Unchained pin, and a special mystery deck! (Don’t ask, you’ll need to wait for the first Vault Tour event to find out what the mystery deck is!)
So, I’ve Arrived at a Vault Tour Event. What Happens?
Upon arrival at the Vault Tour event venue, you’ll want to check-in with the Vault Desk to get your Vault Tour Badge and Vault Tour Goody Bag! The Vault Desk will also provide you with any other information that you may need, and will try to answer any of your questions.
After getting your badge, you’ll likely want to stop by the Tournament Registration Desk to register for an upcoming tournament. We recommend you arrive at-least one hour prior to the start of the tournament to ensure enough time for registration.
If you wish to play in the Friday Sealed Alliance Tournament, you will need to bring three designated sealed decks from the most recent set (three such decks are provided in the attendee goody bag, so do not open them early if you wish to use them in the sealed event).
Registration to most Vault Tour Event activities, including main Vault Tour tournaments* is included in your ticket fee. Those side-events involving sealed decks, are subject to an additional fee (to cover your provided decks).
* Note that both the Archon and Alliance tournament (which compete for a cash-prize and qualification towards the KeyForge World Championship), will require spending one Event Key from your account on the KeyForge Master Vault (how Event Keys are obtained will be announced next week).
What Prizes Can I Win at a Vault Tour Event?
Ghost Galaxy will be sponsoring a cash prize at each Vault Tour event* for both the Archon & Alliance tournaments. The prizes are as follows for each event:
First Place: $3,000
Second Place: $1,000
Third and Fourth Place: $500
Additional non-cash prizes will be awarded in the Sealed tournament, Second Æmber tournament, and select side events (such prizes may vary from event to event).
Where Will the 2023 Vault Tour Events be Held?
Currently, three of the five U.S. Vault Tour stops has been announced. These are:
- July 7-9, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Delta Hotels By Marriott Philadelphia Airport
- August 18-20, Roseville, Minnesota @ Gamezenter Roseville
- September 15-17, Dallas, Texas @ Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas Park Central
We are working to finalize details on the last two U.S. locations and will update this post at that time. International Vault Tours to be announced in the weeks to come.
Where Do I Learn More About the Tournaments?
Every Vault Tour will follow the Tournament Rules & Guidelines that can be found on the Tournament Rules and Formats page.
Vault Tour matches will utilize the latest version of the Master Rulebook, with the current version being 17. At the event, judges will be on hand to make any ruling questions that come up during the event. If additional input is needed, the top officiator, known as the Marshal, will make the final ruling at that event.
